E-book
The finer points of sausage dogs / Alexander McCall Smith ; illustrations by Iain McIntosh.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780307370389 (electronic bk.)
- ISBN: 0307370380 (electronic bk.)
- Physical Description: 1 online resource.
- Publisher: Toronto [Ontario] : Vintage Canada, 2004.
- Copyright: ©2003
Content descriptions
| General Note: | Originally published: Edinburgh : Polygon, 2003. |
| Source of Description Note: | Description based on vendor-supplied metadata. |
Search for related items by subject
| Subject: | Igelfeld, Moritz-Maria von (Fictitious character) > Fiction. College teachers > Fiction. Philologists > Fiction. |
| Genre: | Electronic books. |
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Electronic resources
- Kirkus Reviews : Kirkus Reviews 2004 December #1
Prof. Dr. Moritz-Maria von Igelfeld's second volume of adventures is bookended by a pair of memorable lectures and a pair of his own obituaries."I am always interested in everything," the mainstay of the Institute for Romance Philology tells his host at the University of Arkansas. All five of these interlinked episodes explore the folly of this singularly imperceptive remark. In the title story, von Igelfeld, prodded by jealousy of his colleagues, seeks an invitation to America only to discover that his host, Prof. R.B. Leflar, thinks he's a professor of veterinary medicine-a professor, in fact, quite recently deceased-and expects him to give a paper on dachshunds. In "A Leg to Stand On," Prof. Leflar returns the visit to von Igelfeld in Regensburg, where a sausage dog again plays an unexpectedly prominent role. "On the Couch" sends von Igelfeld first to the same psychiatrist his vengeful colleague Prof. Dr. Detlev Amadeus Unterholzer is consulting, and then, when von Igelfeld outdoes Unterholzer in vindictiveness, to a priestly confessional that's the comic high point of the volume. "The Bones of Father Christmas," by far the longest of these stories, unleashes Smith's wildest inventions, as von Igelfeld is inveigled into taking charge of the sacred relics of St. Nicholas and gets a private audience with the Pope, who otherwise passes his time playing solitaire. Finally, "The Perfect Imperfect" packs him aboard a cruise ship as the only unmarried man bobbing in a sea of hundreds of rapacious widows before he takes matters into his own hands.Only two flaws mar Smith's delicate comedy: The 50-page "Father Christmas" lacks the shorter adventures' light touch, and we never do get to hear the complete text of either of von Igelfeld's crucial lectures. (Illus. throughout with b&w block prints)Agent: Robin Straus/Robin Straus Agency Copyright Kirkus 2004 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved. - Library Journal Reviews : LJ Reviews 2005 January #1
In these three novellas, Smith (The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency) introduces a new character, Dr. Moriz-Maria von Igelfeld, a professor of romance philology whose most noted (and only) book is Portuguese Irregular Verbs. Other recurring characters include von Igelfeld's colleagues at the Institute of Romance Philology, Dr. Florianus Prinzel and Dr. Detlev Amadeus Unterholzer. Von Igelfeld continuously tries to prove to himself and others that he is the absolute best in his field and as such he should be shown the utmost respect. This often results in the most humorous situations, as things do not go according to plan. In Portuguese Irregular Verbs, von Igelfeld gets Dr. Prinzel involved in a duel, which results in the loss of the tip of Prinzel's nose. In The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs, Dr. Unterholzer's beloved pet dachshund is left with only one leg after von Igelfeld, mistaken for a veterinarian, amputates the other three. And in At the Villa of Reduced Circumstances, von Igelfeld becomes involved in academic intrigue at Cambridge and a little misadventure in Colombia. This delightful head-in-the-clouds professor will enthrall the author's many fans. Recommended for most popular fiction collections.-Karen Core, Kent Dist. Lib., Grand Rapids, MI Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
